By Anita Dangazele
- The current Fort Hare graduate committee wants the court to stop new elections, claiming the process is unfair.
- University calls claims false while dealing with corruption investigations and murders of staff members.
A fight has broken out over who should run the University of Fort Hare’s graduate body, with the current leaders trying to stop new elections through the courts.
The outgoing committee wants to pause the elections “until all the graduates of the university are satisfied with the election process.”
The voting started on Monday and was meant to finish on Wednesday. But lawyers from Andrews Incorporated have asked for it to be delayed until 24 March.
The current committee says there are problems with the elections planned for 17-19 February. They claim the university has ignored their concerns.
“The university has sidelined the Convocation Executive and hijacked its statutory role in organising the AGM, contrary to the University Statute.
“The disregard for due process, coupled with deliberate exclusionary tactics, has rendered the upcoming elections undemocratic, unfair, and in violation of established governance principles,” the letter states.
But university spokesperson JP Roodt says the committee has got it wrong. He says auditors are watching the elections and all graduates who can vote have had time to update their details.
Roodt called the committee’s claims “brazen untruthful allegations” and says they only went to court at the last minute to cause trouble.
The university has been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. The Special Investigating Unit is looking into corruption and dodgy degrees.
Two staff members have been killed – vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu’s bodyguard, Mboneli Vesele, and fleet manager Petrus Roets. Former university officials and businesspeople have been arrested in a R171-million fraud and murder case.
Pictured above: University of Fort Hare.
Image source: @ufh1916
